Chapter Sixteen: Shock

  The bloody smell wafted over the entire prairie, and the lush green grass was also dyed red.

  Cheng Shan's corpse piled up at Ye Chen's feet, his black robe fluttering in the wind, gazing down at the beastly horde that surged like a tide, a cold smile spreading from the corner of his mouth.

  Ye Chen didn't know how many times he had died, each time it was heart-wrenching pain, watching his body turn into countless fragments, and then slowly reassembling.

  Even Ye Chen, who had experienced countless assassination attempts in his past life, couldn't help but silently curse the perversion of this illusion.

  Endless death and slaughter kept washing over people's nerves, Huo Qilin's light voice occasionally sounded in Ye Chen's ear: "Little one, this illusion is really abnormal, but I found that you are even more abnormal. If it were someone else, they would have gone crazy long ago!"

  He grasped the iron sword that had become incredibly heavy once again, and Ye Chen's figure transformed into a streak of light as he charged into the beast horde, fearless and unscathed. A war where it was either the enemy or him who would perish began with Ye Chen's roar.

  The sword was constantly thrust out, and the sword energy cut down countless times, Ye Chen's figure was like a grim reaper's scythe, continuously harvesting lives.

  Until the giant cow disappeared on the grassland, Ye Chen slowly came back to his senses from the slaughter, with a numb expression on his face, and his body transformed into a ray of light that slowly dissipated.

  The lower level of Zu Ge's residence was dimly lit, with a faint glow emanating from the walls on all sides. A figure slowly materialized and emerged, and Ye Chen's silhouette suddenly appeared.

  He took a deep breath, Ye Chen slowly closed his eyes, and in his mind were the scenes of slaughter from just now, the killing intent in his eyes also slowly receded.

  Opening his eyes again, Ye Chen's eyes had returned to calmness, without any killing intent. It was only then that Ye Chen suddenly realized he had already escaped the illusion.

  A gentle breeze suddenly blew over Ye Chen's forehead, ruffling his hair. Although it had only been a short time, Ye Chen felt as if he had experienced hundreds of years of illusion. He slowly swung his arm and gazed up at the dark attic above, cursing loudly: "Damn it! This ancestral hall is really terrifying. No wonder those little rabbits went crazy - this is the perfect place to drive people mad!"

  Hu Qi Lin's old and majestic voice slowly came out: "Youngster, this place is indeed a good place to temper oneself. Those little rabbits of the Ye family are truly useless!"

  Ye Chen was speechless for a moment, his eyes narrowed, gazing up at the pitch-black attic above, a strange expression appeared on his face, and he muttered: "This place is very eerie, if you're not careful, you'll fall into an illusion!"

  His foot lifted slightly, and suddenly stopped in mid-air. In an instant, more than a dozen possible landing spots flashed through his mind, before he landed on one spot. His voice shot out like a whirlwind sweeping away leaves, as his right hand swiftly drew the iron sword from his waist and stabbed forward. His figure then leapt backward again, the entire process appearing extremely natural, as if it were spontaneous.

  Ye Chen let out a bitter smile, rubbing his forehead and shaking his head. "Xiao Huo, the aftereffects of this illusion are slowly emerging," he said with a sigh. "In that illusion, I had grown accustomed to being on high alert at all times. Now, those reactions have become second nature to me. If my past life had experienced an illusion like this, I would have definitely become a top-notch killer!"

  "Look at you, a top-notch killer! Fire Qilin showed disdain and glanced at Ye Chen with a mixture of annoyance and mockery, saying: "Kid, broaden your horizons, we should get out of here too, or those Ye family people will think you're dead inside!"

  Ye Chen helplessly swung his arm and shouted: "Xiao Huo, how can a swallow know the ambition of a swan?"

  Hu Qi Lin was speechless for a moment, having seen shamelessness before but never to the extent of Ye Chen's, and couldn't help but lament that he had indeed met someone with no integrity!

  Rubbing his forehead, Ye Chen looked at the pavilion again, and for some reason, he felt that the ancestral pavilion was always shrouded in mystery, the mysterious sword and jade pendant, as well as the so-called Qinglong aura.

  ......

  The sunset's afterglow quietly enveloped the entire ancestral hall, and a slow footsteps came out from inside the ancestral hall.

  The old man with closed eyes had a sudden change in complexion, his eyes filled with a hint of expectation as he gazed at the pitch-black gate of the pavilion. Another series of footsteps echoed out, only to suddenly disappear without a trace.

  Yue Mu's face turned slightly pale, and after a few moments, the large gate still hadn't opened. She couldn't help but feel anxious, let out a melancholy sigh, and said: "Elder, please open the door! Yue Chen should have arrived at the entrance by now!"

  Ye Tian's eyes flashed with a hint of joy, and he slowly took a few steps forward, gazing indifferently at the pitch-black door. "The ancestral hall rules state that within three days, only the person who entered can open the door, or it will only be opened after three days have passed! The rules cannot be broken!"

  At this moment, Ye Tiancai truly let go of his worries. A madman was not worth considering, and why should he compete with him for the position of master of the house?

  Ye Hao's mouth curled up with a hint of a smile, and on the surface, he put on a hypocritical expression, saying with great regret: "This kid Ye Chen is really lucky, I hope he can get out safely, I'm still looking forward to our bet!"

  In fact, Ye Hao was already laughing in his heart. The little kid who had been defiant towards him had gone crazy, which was undoubtedly good news for him.

  "For hundreds of years, over a hundred people have entered the ancestral hall, but none of them have escaped becoming mad!"

  "No, they didn't all become madmen, most of them died inside, alas, this ancestral hall has ruined the future of how many Ye family descendants!"

  "Haha, this time it's really going to ruin the future of the Ye family's children! Ye Chen is a complete waste!"

  "Yes, perhaps becoming a madman is the best choice for him!"

  A murmur of whispers spread from the mouths of the elderly who were standing around, their faces without a hint of urgency, but instead with a hint of schadenfreude, each curious and looking up at the Chao Ge Lou.

  "Everyone can disperse! Ye Chen is probably already dead inside!" Ye Tian shrugged indifferently, a hint of impatience flashing across his face, and immediately turned to bow to the elders.

  In everyone's eyes, Ye Chen had undoubtedly become a madman or was already dead. The crowd also lost their initial patience and turned around to leave.

  But in the next instant, everyone's footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and they all looked back in disbelief. A yawn was heard from behind them.

  Yemu Wenny's eyes, which had been dull and lifeless, suddenly lit up as she muttered: "He's out!"

  Under the gaze of the entire audience, inside the pitch-black gate, there was a faint sound of footsteps coming from the floorboards, and after hearing this sound, everyone's face couldn't help but change.

  The footsteps were getting closer and closer, Ye Tian involuntarily clenched his fists, his eyes fixed on the pitch-black gate. A moment later, his pupils suddenly contracted, his face changed slightly, and a figure slowly appeared in everyone's line of sight.

  Looking at Ye Chen's calm face, the gentle breeze blew by, his black robe fluttering, and the entire scene suddenly fell silent. The elders who had been gloating earlier were all agape, staring incredulously at the figure in black.

  Who would have thought that after entering the ancestral hall, not only was there no imagined death, but even no madness, instead breathing steadily, face calm, appearance neat and tidy, far from what they had imagined.